OneVoice

August 21, 2012

Over the last year or so, I have felt myself hardening, growing increasingly jaded about the day to day happenings of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I have been working on this issue for many years and made a promise to myself early on that I would stop if I ever lost touch with the emotion and passion that led me to choose this work in the first place.

Intellectually, I read the headlines and recognize the rapidly growing distance between the present and peace. However, if I'm honest, feelings of anger, frustration and alarm have been absent for some time.

All that changed today. The first two headlines I read left me absolutely infuriated and sadder than I've been in a long time. Late Thursday night, Jewish youth savagely attacked three Palestinians while shouting racist slurs in Jerusalem's Zion Square. Earlier that day, settlers hurled fire bombs at Palestinians in the West Bank, wounding a family of six.

This made me want to scream at the top of my lungs, "These are not my Jewish values!"

Some may question whether I am the right person to declare some form of ownership over Jewish values -- with a Jewish, Israeli mother and a Muslim, Pakistani father. I have let that worry stop me from speaking up before, but I refuse to let that silence me this time. The Judaism I was raised with is all about dugma ishit, or leadership by example.

I have heard Jews from across the spectrum of orthodoxy state that the Jewish people are a light onto all nations. True or not, every self-identifying Jew must recognize that when these kinds of vitriolic, hateful actions are perpetrated in the name of Jewish values -- by those who claim superiority and entitlement over others -- we not only fuel the growing tide of global anti-Semitism, we render ourselves completely unworthy of the title "the chosen people."

If this is the future of the so-called Jewish State, then I say no, thank you.

We cannot turn a blind eye to these events. They may be exceptional at the moment, but if the Israeli public chooses to sit silently by and allow these actions to be taken in their name, then they are all guilty by association.

When a Palestinian act of terror has been committed, we all rightly demand condemnation. Why is this situation any different? If anything, this is a key opportunity for the Israeli leadership to show their dugma ishit and demonstrate a commitment to non-violence as the only means toward peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

Every single day, more and more negative realities are being created. If we take a step back, we can actually measure the growing rift that has formed between the present day, the status quo of conflict and occupation, and the future of the two-state solution.

These actions must be stopped. If the political leadership does not stand up to condemn them, then they are not worthy of being called leaders. Let the people stand up and show what real Jewish values are made of!

*Darya Shaikh is acting CEO of the OneVoice Movement. Her blog was originally published on The Huffington Post:http://huff.to/Qnf1U1.

June 14, 2012

New York, June 14, 2012—Israeli youth activists, led by OneVoice’s Tal Harris, joined residents in Neve Shalom – a model for Arab-Jewish co-existence – on Sunday to protest the “price-tag” attack on their village by Jewish extremists retaliating against the evacuation of the illegal Ulpana outpost.

Last Wednesday, the Knesset voted down a bill to legalize outposts on private Palestinian land – amid intense lobbying from settler groups and their allies in the governing coalition – that also threatened to undermine the Supreme Court’s ruling to dismantle Ulpana by July 1. OneVoice Israel stepped up pressure on Knesset members in the preceding days to quash the proposed law. Immediately after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved 851 units for construction in the West Bank settlement of Beit El.

OneVoice advocates for a settlement freeze to restart stalled negotiations toward the two-state solution. » Read an op-ed by Tal Harris on the choice between democracy and settlements.

Throughout the summer, OneVoice’s Israeli activists will protest continued settlement construction and expansion. They will mobilize in a different major city each week by wearing heavy winter coats symbolizing the need to freeze the settlement policy and unfreeze peace talks. They plan to bring residents and local politicians together in support of this strategic Israeli choice. Their first protest will take place this Tuesday, June 19, outside the Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem.

In the run-up to vote on the outpost legislation, OneVoice Israel published a poll that showed nearly 58% of Israelis oppose the bill. The proposed law sought to legalize outposts in the occupied West Bank that house at least 20 Jewish families who have resided there for more than four years. Results also showed 57.7% of respondents support the Supreme Court’s decision to demolish the illegal outpost and 64% oppose illegal settlement activity in the West Bank. » View the complete poll results.

The movement’s youth activists carried out a relentless phone, text, and social media blitz to get ministers to vote against the legislation. They also hung posters and banners all over Jerusalem that read “Prime Minister Netanyahu, the outposts are destroying Israel” and “Minister Mofaz, the outposts are killing the two-state solution.” » Read about OneVoice’s actions against legalizing outposts in the West Bank.

“Any new construction on private Palestinian land in the heart of the West Bank serves as another roadblock in the way of the two-state solution,” said Harris.

OneVoice Israel received extensive Israeli media coverage of their actions, including on the popular Web site Walla, IBA radio, Arutz 7, Israel Channel 2, and the Knesset Channel.

June 06, 2012

OneVoice Israel joined forces with Young Labor outside the Knesset to protest against the Yesha Council's hunger strike in support of the legalization bid.

New York, June 6, 2012—Israeli youth activists, led by OneVoice’s Tal Harris, stepped up pressure on Knesset members to quash legislation legalizing outposts on private Palestinian land ahead of Wednesday’s vote. The movement published a poll on Tuesday, showing nearly 58% oppose the bill.

With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contending with the issue of evacuating the illegal Ulpana outpost in Beit El, amid intense lobbying from settler groups and their allies in the governing coalition, OneVoice Israel mounted a campaign to defeat the bill. Youth activists carried out a relentless phone, text, and social media blitz to get ministers to vote against the legislation. They also hung posters and banners all over Jerusalem that read “Prime Minister Netanyahu, the outposts are destroying Israel” and “Minister Mofaz, the outposts are killing the two-state solution.”

“I urge ministers and Knesset members not to succumb to pressure from the far-right minority, which our poll shows does not represent the mood of the people,” said Harris, executive director of OneVoice Israel. “If the law passes, the Supreme Court is likely to deem it unconstitutional, turning the Israeli judiciary and legislative branches into an ineffectual sham.”

The proposed legislation seeks to legalize outposts in the occupied West Bank that house at least 20 Jewish families who have resided there for more than four years. The bill hopes to bypass the Supreme Court ruling to dismantle the illegal Ulpana outpost by July 1.

OneVoice Israel released a poll on Tuesday, conducted by Shvakim Panorama, showing 57.7% of respondents support the Supreme Court’s decision to demolish the illegal outpost and 57.6% oppose the bill legalizing outposts. More than 64% were against illegal settlement activity in the West Bank.

“The majority of Israelis clearly oppose the bill and support the Supreme Court’s ruling,” said Harris. “Any new construction on private Palestinian land in the heart of the West Bank serves as another roadblock in the way of the two-state solution.”

OneVoice Israel received extensive Israeli media coverage of their actions, including on the popular Web site Walla, IBA radio, Arutz 7, Israel Channel 2, and the Knesset Channel.

Hard-liners first attempted to pass the outpost bill in late February, pulling out from presenting it for a Knesset vote at the last minute in response to overwhelming pressure from opposition MKs and the grassroots organized by OneVoice Israel.

OneVoice Israel youth activist hang a poster that reads "Minister Mofaz, the outposts are killing the two state solution! Stop the Regulation Law."

OneVoice Israel hung up banners all over Jerusalem early this week that read "Prime Minister Netanyahu, the outposts are destroying Israel! Stop the Regulation Law."

May 14, 2012

New York, May 14, 2012—Marking the 10th anniversary of the OneVoice Movement, some of OneVoice Palestine's most senior youth leaders - activists who have shown their dedication to the two-state solution, who have engaged Palestinians in town hall meetings and creative campaigns, and who have met with Palestinian politicians - answer the question, 'Why did I join OneVoice?'.

We want to know why YOU joined the movement! Share the stories of how you became involved with OneVoice and why you believe in the two-state solution with us on Facebook and Twitter. OneVoice is made up of individuals - but all of our voices, taken together, make a movement! Add your voice.

April 03, 2012

OneVoice Israel poster, part of their new campaign focused on the Arab Peace Initiative, reads: "Bibi, meet Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, emir of Qatar: In exchange for a divided Jerusalem, he offers us normalization, diplomatic relations, and peace. He calls it the Arab Peace Initiative. So what do you say? Worth it?”

New York, April 3, 2012—OneVoice Israel unveiled a new campaign last Wednesday, intended to highlight the Arab Peace Initiative (API) to the Israeli public and raise it within the political agenda.

Ten years ago at the Beirut Summit of the Arab League, the API was proposed as a regional attempt to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while ending the wider Arab-Israeli conflict as well. It offered a comprehensive and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the normalization of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The API represented an abrupt about-face in the regional political field: from the Arab League's refusal to negotiate or recognize Israel, the API ushered in a new era in Middle East relations and the potential for regional stability and cooperation.

In a press release published in Hebrew on their Facebook page, OneVoice Israel outlined the intention of the campaign: "The Arab Peace Initiative embodies the spirit of the Arab moderate camp [...] For the past 10 years, successive Israeli governments have refused to address it formally or negotiate based on its content. The Arab Peace Initiative is still alive, though, and we believe that Israel's leaders need to respond to the initiative with a resounding 'Yes'."

The campaign, designed to put the initiative back on the peace-process map, will be unrolled in three phases: the first phase consists of raising public awareness about the initiative and the historic opportunity for compromise it embodies; in the second phase, this awareness will be turned into mass mobilization around the initiative as a means of restarting the fledgling peace process; the campaign will conclude by channeling the public's demands for a government response to the API to Israeli politicians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, said: "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then what is it? That's right, it's a duck — but this duck is a nuclear duck. And it's time the world started calling a duck a duck." The strategic threat a nuclear Iran presents is not the only political issue being misinterpreted; "the Arab Peace Duck," wrote OneVoice Israel Executive Director Tal Harris in an op-ed piece, "has been waiting for Israel for 10 years now. It is time it too receives the appropriate response."

To mark the beginning of the OneVoice campaign, 80 toy "Arab Peace Ducks" were sent to Members of the Knesset and senior media correspondents along with the text of the Arab Peace Initiative — a friendly reminder that a potential partner for peace has yet to be given a real chance.

Playing on Netanyahu's reference to Iran as a nuclear duck, OneVoice Israel inundated Israeli MKs with 'Arab Peace Ducks' and copies of the Arab Peace Initiative to get them to see the API for what it really is: a historic chance for peace.

March 21, 2012

New York, March 21, 2012—The Rt. Hon. David Miliband spoke at a OneVoice gala in London, joined by Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and applauded the efforts of OneVoice activists in Israel and Palestine while reiterating the urgency of their efforts to implement the two-state solution and end the conflict.

New York, February 28, 2012—OneVoice Palestine brought around 150 Palestinian youth on Friday to plant dozens of trees and Palestinian flags in a barren area east of Bethlehem under threat of being confiscated by Israeli military order.

This land is categorized as Area C under the terms of the Oslo Accords, giving Israel control over both the security and civil administration of the area. The Quartet – made up of the U.S., the U.N., the European Union and Russia – and other international actors have been pressuring Israel to give Palestinians more access to Area C land, which constitutes 60% of the entire West Bank, as a confidence building measure. Lack of access holds back Palestinian economic development and is a serious impediment to their ability to travel between Palestinian cities and towns.

OneVoice youth activists from chapters throughout the West Bank met in Dar Salah and then marched to the hills overlooking the Jordan Valley, which have been threatened with confiscation. Senior OneVoice youth activist Ibrahim Mubarak initiated the activity, bringing members of the nonprofit he leads, Nibras for Youth Generations, to join as well. Several national media organizations covered the activity, and highlights appeared in print media and on TV, even on a day that saw violent clashes in other parts of Palestine.

“This is an effort to preserve this Palestinian land, part of the Bethlehem governorate, under threat of confiscation from the rightist Israeli government,” Samer Makhlouf, OneVoice Palestine’s executive director, told the Palestine News Network. “The message, under the heading ‘This is Our Land, Leave Us Alone,’ called for the recognition of a Palestinian state based on ’67 borders.”

OneVoice Europe’s executive director, John Lyndon, was present at the activity. “It is inspiring to see so many Palestinians take to this windy, rainy hillside and firmly declare both their opposition to expanding Israeli settlement, and their commitment to the two-state solution,” he said. “OneVoice Palestine has shown today that mobilizing youth in a positive and constructive way can have an impact both locally and nationally, as can be seen from the number of people here lending a hand, and the significant media coverage that our efforts have generated.”

New York, January 26, 2012—OneVoice Israel activists organized a flash mob yesterday, freezing in place in Zion Square in central Jerusalem drawing attention to the urgent need to thaw negotiations and move the process for the two-state solution forward.

As informal negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian representatives in Amman, Jordan drew nearer to their deadline, around three dozen youth leaders from around the country froze in various positions at noon yesterday. Amidst banners demanding a return to productive negotiations and alluding to the need for a settlement freeze, the stunt enticed sympathetic onlookers similarly frustrated by the political stalemate to join as well, swelling the number of participants to over 40.

Zahava Gal-On and Nitzan Horowitz, both Members of Knesset from the New Movement-Meretz party, and Raleb Majadele, a Labor Party MK, also participated in the event, taking the opportunity to show their discontent with the current state of negotiations and the relationship between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.

December 01, 2011

Broadcaster Eyal Raz (right) and technician Nasser Abu Hadwan (left) work at All for Peace's radio station before its November 17 shutdown. Credit: Sebastian Scheiner/AP/Press Association Images.

New York, December 1, 2011—All for Peace radio, once streamed to over 30,000 Israeli and Palestinian listeners eager for an alternative news source, had their license revoked by Israel in the latest wave of government checks on leftist organizations.

Until its closure on November 17, All for Peace radio operated as the only joint Israeli-Palestinian station in Israel. It was forced to shut down its Israeli frequency following an order from the Ministry of Communications amidst allegations of illegal licensing and incitement.

In response, Mossi Raz, the co-director of All for Peace, has asserted that the station broadcasts from Palestine where it is not bound by Israeli laws governing radio stations, and that they are considering their legal options to get the license back while they continue to broadcast online. The first step in their legal battle will come on December 4 when they are set to petition the Israeli Supreme Court.

Many in Israel see the move as part of a broader trend by the government to restrict left wing organizations and curb left wing voices.

"It's tragic," said Tal Harris, OneVoice Israel executive director and former host of a weekly program that brought regular Israelis and Palestinians, as well as politicians and activists, together to discuss the conflict. "Instead of civil society enabling the elected leadership to move forward [by] setting an example of dialogue and on air-negotiations when we host Palestinians, [we] are being stopped by the government."

Founded in 2004, All for Peace broadcasts in Hebrew, Arabic and English from East Jerusalem-Sheikh Jarra and has sought in all of its programs to expand people's understanding and end the occupation through promoting both Israeli and Palestinian narratives. This platform, though, resulted in accusations from government officials, including Likud member Danny Danon, that the station "incited" against Israel.

"It was a shock for us, we did not expect it," said Raz. "The Communications Ministry acted, and it is part of the attack on the democracy of Israel [along with] legislation limiting the sources of funds to peace organizations."

The closure of the All for Peace station comes as Netanyahu's Likud government is pursuing new legislation aimed at stifling political opposition. The legislative efforts include lowering the burden of proof in libel suits brought by politicians against the media, transferring Supreme Court selection from an independent panel to the Knesset and a draft bill intended to limit international funding for NGOs. The last effort, which if passed will impose a 45% tax on foreign funding for NGOs who do not receive government grants while allowing those who do unfettered access to foreign funds, has many activists worried that particularly vocal groups may be targeted.

These efforts, though, have not been without a backlash. While All for Peace continues to broadcast online, OneVoice Israel is leading the protest against the station's closure by hosting high profile speakers, such as members of Knesset, to draw attention to the government's plans and increase exposure for the Web site.

"We are trying to show that business is better than usual," said Harris. "We are trying to maintain good content and more people are now listening [on the Web site] than were listening on the radio station."

Although the station is struggling to stay afloat without financial endorsements from advertisers, Raz remains optimistic and encourages those opposed to All for Peace's message to tune in.

"Right now the media is telling [Israelis and Palestinians] exactly what they want to hear," said Raz. "The truth is that we are somewhere in the middle. We want Israelis to listen to the Palestinian message. And we want Palestinians to listen to the Israeli message. We want to serve the organizations that fight for peace, freedom and human rights."

October 25, 2011

Jerusalem, October 25, 2011—A group of influential business leaders from the United States and the United Kingdom, led by OneVoice Founder Daniel Lubetzky and actor Jason Alexander, met with President Shimon Peres on Tuesday.

The delegation, which includes Fred Schaufeld of NEW Customer Service Companies, Pat Patterson of MacKenzie Patterson Fuller, and James K. Cummings of The Nathan Cummings Foundation, is visiting Israel and the West Bank this week to support the efforts of OneVoice’s youth activists in building a movement for peace from the ground up.

“On the past, we cannot have but many voices, many narratives,” said President Shimon Peres. “But on the future, we can and must be OneVoice.”

President Peres asked the Seinfeld actor for advice to which Jason Alexander responded that “the best advice is to not give up.” He added, “There’s been so much disappointment, but there are wonderful people that are working very hard within both communities. The whole point of OneVoice is to give voice to the moderates on both sides and engage them in the process.”

Both OneVoice Israel and OneVoice Palestine have been forging direct channels for communication between elected leaders and the grassroots. Last week, OneVoice Israel held a landmark event outside Tel Aviv’s Cinematheque that saw 500 Israelis talk ‘dooghri’ (straight) with 30 prominent government and civil society leaders.

“We are proud not to be chained to the past, but instead to be at the forefront of the generation that works toward a solution – two states, two peoples, in OneVoice,” said Tal Harris, executive director of OneVoice Israel, following the meeting with President Peres.